Popular Toy Gifts of Past Recessions, Thanks to Sears Catalog Archive

For anyone old enough to have ever had a Sears catalog at home, the memory of being a child and circling the toys they wanted for Christmas is a strong one. Sears printed the catalogs from 1896 until 1993, and while the catalogs that millions of children tore into is now long gone, they're available on the Internet in a new Sears catalog archive.

Viewing the pages is like traveling back in time, but without having to worry about philosophical issues such as meeting your mom when she was 6. They offer a glimpse of how Sears targeted -- and how customers spent what little money they had -- selling gifts during the many recessions of the past 100 years.Here are some of the gifts that Sears sold during the American recessions, along with linked photos of the catalog pages describing the items, and their price:

1903: Magic Lantern -- "The young people not only derive great pleasure from giving magic lantern exhibitions, but the business training they gain...gives them the rudiments of money making..." ($1.90)

For later recessions, Sears didn't have catalogs, so it's difficult to determine how much it sold some gifts for. But here are some popular gifts during the latest recessions, according to Ancestry.com:

2001: Bratz dolls -- The dolls weren't a big hit when they were first introduced in 2001, but later caught on and can now be found for as low as $8. A 2001 doll can now be found for $5.

2010:

Apple iPad: For an Apple iPad with 32gb WiFi and 3G, the cost was $729